VZCZCXRO3946
OO RUEHDU RUEHGI RUEHJO RUEHMA RUEHMR RUEHPA RUEHRN RUEHTRO
DE RUEHBZ #0362/01 3571128
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O R 231128Z DEC 09
FM AMEMBASSY BRAZZAVILLE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 1653
INFO RUEHZO/AFRICAN UNION COLLECTIVE
RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME 0064
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 0519
RUEHBS/AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS 0067
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0085
RUEHBZ/AMEMBASSY BRAZZAVILLE 2072

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 05 BRAZZAVILLE 000362 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREF PREL PGOV UNHCR WFP CT CM CG CF
SUBJECT: REFUGEE UPDATE - 88,000 DRC REFUGEES IN THE LIKOUALA REGION 
OF CONGO-B 
 
REF: A. BRAZZAVILLE 345 
     ¶B. BRAZZAVILLE 337 
     ¶C. BRAZZAVILLE 329 
     ¶D. BRAZZAVILLE 318 
     ¶E. KINSHASA 1084 
 
BRAZZAVILL 00000362  001.2 OF 005 
 
 
Summary 
 
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¶1. (U) Over the last two months, 87,789 DRC refugees have 
crossed the Ubangui River into the Likouala region of the Congo 
in order to flee fighting in the Equateur province of DRC.  DCM 
and RefCoord visited five of the approximately 60 refugee sites 
between December 17 and 19.  The refugees are spread out over 
300 kilometers along the banks of the Ubangui and are mostly 
sheltered in make-shift huts in villages close to the edge of 
the river, though there are several thousand squatting in 
horrible conditions in an abandoned factory and a school in 
Betou town.  Although the majority of the refugees have until 
now managed to survive on food brought from the DRC before and 
after the fighting (canoes continue to cross back and forth in 
search of food) their coping mechanisms will likely break down 
over time.  Most of the food in this region comes from the DRC, 
where fields have been abandoned due to the fighting. 
 
 
 
¶2. (U) UNHCR and WFP have responded well, providing non-food 
items (NFIs) and food from existing stock in the region, but 
these resources are now tapped out.  Fortunately, UNHCR did not 
close its offices from previous rounds of refugees, and had 
local partners in place.  The logistics of getting additional 
food and NFIs to the region are daunting - NFIs will have to be 
flown in, and food will have to come overland from Cameroon via 
the Central African Republic.  Overhead costs will therefore be 
substantial.  MSF-France and a local NGO supported by UNHCR are 
providing much-needed health assistance with both fixed and 
mobile medical clinics.  American missionary doctors based in 
Impfondo treated the wounds and operated on at least a dozen 
seriously injured refugees.  UNICEF donated water bladders to 
several sites, which have been made functional with assistance 
from MSF.  Though it has not yet granted refugee status, the 
GROC has been cooperative and the ROC military has provided 
significant security to both refugee communities and UN relief 
operations.  Although the GDRC military has retaken control of 
much of the region in the course of the last week, the refugees 
we met told us they would not return to the DRC anytime soon, 
because their security cannot be assured.  Some were attacked 
brutally by their own neighbors from other tribes.  It is 
difficult to imagine that the refugees will return within the 
next few months; six months, a year, or longer is possible 
depending on the stability of the Equateur province of the DRC. 
 
 
 
Likouala Refugee Situation Overview 
 
---------------------------------- 
 
 
 
¶3. (U) Embassy Brazzaville Deputy Chief of Mission (DCM) and 
Kampala-based Regional Refugee Coordinator (RefCoord) undertook 
an assessment mission to ROC's Likouala Department which has 
received an influx of 87,789 refugees from DRC across the 
Ubangui River over the past 2 months. During December 17-19, DCM 
and RefCoord traveled with UNHCR to five refugee sites: Impfondo 
town at the southern end of the refugee influx zone; Falco and 
Mondzombo in Betou town at the northern end of the refugee 
influx zone; Mankolo village 30 kilometers north of Impfondo; 
and Eboko, one of the largest refugee sites with 9,697 refugees, 
located about 50km south of Betou and almost directly across the 
river from the DRC town of Dongo, which saw the first and 
largest attacks on minority ethnic groups that led to the 
refugee outflow. 
 
 
 
¶4. (U) GROC local officials indicated that the number of 
refugees outstrips the local population in the district by about 
20,000 people.  The refugees are dispersed among more than 60 
sites along 300km of the Ubangui River, with the largest 
concentration of the population in the Betou District (approx. 
57,000) at the northern end of this axis. (NOTE: A significant 
 
BRAZZAVILL 00000362  002.2 OF 005 
 
 
portion of the local population is former DRC refugees from a 
prior refugee influx who have been locally integrated in ROC and 
many of the current refugees and second-time refugees who were 
repatriated to DRC during the past several years. END NOTE.) 
Brazzaville-based Office of the United Nations High Commissioner 
for Refugees (UNHCR) and World Food Program (WFP) 
representatives estimate that the total refugee population will 
peak at between 130,000 and 150,000 (including the between 
9,000-18,000 refugees currently in CAR who they anticipate will 
travel to ROC soon in order to be in closer proximity to their 
villages and families) and that the refugee situation will last 
a minimum of one year. 
 
 
 
¶5. (U) UNHCR reported that refugees crossed the river in three 
waves: the first being those who directly experienced conflict 
(Oct. 29), the second being those who fled because of rumors of 
fighting (Nov. 28), and the third being those who fled upon the 
arrival of FARDC troops in the affected areas of Equateur 
Province (within last 1-2 weeks).  Those who fled direct 
conflict arrived with little-to-none of their household goods or 
food stocks and have minimal coping strategies.  Many of the 
refugees in the second and third waves were able to bring their 
household goods, including roofing materials and generators in 
some cases, as well as a supply of food for their immediate 
needs.  Refugees from all groups appear to have found some 
access to day labor opportunities (in areas such as fishing) 
among the local population in which they receive food for work. 
 
 
 
¶6. (U) Although it has referred to them as refugees, GROC has 
not granted refugee status to this group.  It has, however, at 
UNHCR's request allowed that organization to begin registering 
refugees.  UNHCR plans to begin registration during the week of 
December 21.  (NOTE: UNHCR had already sent a Protection Officer 
to the area to begin identifying and registering unaccompanied 
minors (UAMs) and to begin family tracing. END NOTE.)  The 
Sous-Prefet of Betou District has also agreed to allow UNHCR to 
use a parcel of land behind the Mondzombo School in Betou town 
to consolidate the nearly 6,000 refugees currently sheltered in 
the school and the abandoned Falco match factory.  Despite 
better access to services, the refugees at these two locations 
are living in difficult conditions on cement floors with little 
privacy. 
 
 
 
¶7. (U) UNHCR and WFP said that logistics is their biggest 
challenge in meeting the needs of this population.  There is no 
viable road between Impfondo and Betou; the river provides the 
only transport route.  However, the region north of the equator 
is entering the dry season in which the wide, shallow Ubangui 
River ceases to be navigable by large boats.  The small UNHCR 
speedboat which transported DCM and RefCoord between Impfondo 
and Betou scraped sandbars several times during the 4.5-hour 
journey.  UNHCR and WFP have a number of transport barges, but 
those will soon be unable to make the journey due to the 
dropping water level.  River transport of goods from Brazzaville 
to Impfondo is costly, slow, and has been subject to attack.  A 
barge carrying WFP-provided food and a 15,000-liter fuel 
donation from GROC took 10 days to reach Impfondo and was 
attacked by rebels just south of the town, requiring assistance 
from the ROC military.  UNHCR estimated that transporting 50,000 
liters of fuel to Impfondo from Brazzaville requires between 
one-quarter and one-third of the fuel being transported to fuel 
the journey.  The alternate transport route is via Bangui either 
by air or overland from Douala and then via road south to Betou. 
 When the Bangui-Betou road is in good condition, the trip takes 
5-6 hours.  There is an airstrip at Betou but it needs to be 
repaired; WFP Country Representative Alex Loriston said that he 
is talking with GROC representatives about this issue. 
 
 
 
¶8. (U) These logistical challenges raise the cost of the 
operation and make funding the parallel challenge for UNHCR and 
WFP.  Using funds from its Operational Reserve, UNHCR has 
ordered non-food items (NFIs) for approximately 35,000 people. 
(NOTE:  This request was based on the refugee population at the 
time of the request a month ago; it has since more than 
doubled.)  These NFIs supplement the NFIs for approximately 
12,000 people that UNHCR had in country and has already 
distributed to the most vulnerable individuals among the refugee 
population.  The EU's Kinshasa-based representative confirmed 
 
BRAZZAVILL 00000362  003.2 OF 005 
 
 
that the EU will provide a contribution of two million Euros, 
approximately two-thirds to WFP and one-third to UNHCR.  UNHCR 
has already received a contribution of 300,000 Euro from the 
Italian government. 
 
 
 
¶9. (U) When DCM and RefCoord asked refugees to identify their 
greatest needs they universally mentioned healthcare first and 
then education for their children second.  Only one individual 
indicated that food was an issue; this individual had received 
food for 30 days during a distribution by WFP, but complained 
that it was not sufficient for his family.  (NOTE:  DCM and 
RefCoord met with an EU assessment delegation upon return from 
Betou to Impfondo and the Kinshasa-based EU representative on 
that team indicated that they had found food security to be a 
problem among the refugee population to the south of Impfondo. 
END NOTE.) 
 
 
 
¶10. (U) Healthcare is provided by two organizations: Medecins 
d'Afriques (MDA) and Medecins Sans Frontieres - France (MSF-F). 
MDA is a local NGO that has worked with UNHCR during several 
years.  MSF-F sent a team via Bangui that had been located in 
DRC.  The organizations have established health posts in 
Monzombo and Falco sites in Betou town.  They are serving other 
sites along the river via a mobile clinic system using 
canoes/barges to ferry medical staff.  MDA said that the two 
organizations cover each site so that it receives at least 1-2 
visits per week and some sites receive visits 4-5 times/week 
with MDA and MSF alternating their visits.  Refugees and 
healthcare workers told us that the healthcare profile of the 
refugee population was not out of the ordinary for a refugee 
situation with the most common illnesses being malaria, 
diarrheal diseases, and respiratory infections. 
 
 
 
¶11. (U) UNHCR has worked with UNICEF (providing water bladders) 
and MSF (providing technicians and a water resting tank) to 
install a water system in the Eboko site that is capable of 
providing potable water at a rate of 50-60 liters/person/day. 
They have also identified Landza (2,182), Boyele (4,820), and 
Mondzombo (3,500) for installation of additional water bladders. 
 Because access to water is not the main issue but rather 
cleaning the water that is available, UNHCR has focused on 
distributing water treatment tablets and on sensitizing the 
refugee population (via site-based refugee leaders/committees) 
on safe water use. 
 
 
 
¶12. (U) Refugees have found a variety of shelter options.  A 
number of refugees have taken over wattle-and-daub houses left 
when refugees repatriated during the past several years and have 
begun rehabilitating/expanding them.  Other refugees brought 
their roofing materials with them and have constructed shelters 
with metal roofs.  A third group has used UNHCR-provided 
blankets hung over wooden frames to create a shelter.  In Betou 
town, 2,500 refugees have found space in Falco, an abandoned 
match factory, while 3,500 are in the classrooms of Mondzombo, a 
recently-finished school constructed by UNHCR.  Neither of the 
Betou town locations is sufficient for the populations they 
house, although per prior note the local Sous-Prefet has 
provided land behind Mondzombo for construction of a camp for 
this population. 
 
 
 
¶13. (U) A final, difficult aspect of this refugee situation is 
that the local population has lost its market from the other 
side of the river.  Most goods bought by the population on the 
ROC side came from DRC and the towns/villages on the DRC side 
also formed the largest market for ROC crops/goods.  When DCM 
and RefCoord traveled from Impfondo to Betou, there were 
little-to-no signs of life on the DRC side of the river (apart 
from sighting of a few FARDC soldier on the beach at Dongo, 
DRC).  However, we did see quite a number of canoes crossing the 
river - some appeared to be people who had gone back to collect 
some of their crops or household goods from the DRC. 
 
 
 
Political-Military Dimensions 
 
 
BRAZZAVILL 00000362  004.2 OF 005 
 
 
----------------------------- 
 
 
 
¶14. (SBU) During the visit, FARDC forces in the DRC were 
reported to have gained control of Imesse, having regained 
control of Dongo in the previous week.  The refugees at Eboko 
sent a delegation to Dongo on December 18 to meet with the 
Governor of Equateur Province, who was flown to Dongo via MONUC 
helicopter.  The delegation had not yet returned to Eboko with 
news of their meeting, but they anticipated that the Governor 
would ask them to return to Dongo, but said they would not 
return until they could be sure that the fighting between 
militia and DRC forces was definitively over.  The wounded 
refugees at Impfondo have told the American missionary doctors 
there of their fear of the militia leader and witch doctor, 
General Odjani, whom they ascribe with strong powers (an ability 
to levitate, hide underwater, evade bullets, and give magical 
powers through his sword to those of his followers).  UNHCR 
officers also reported that Odjani is greatly feared in the 
region, and reportedly is descended from an Enyele tribal leader 
who led battles against the other ethnic groups in the region, 
including the Mundzala, during the 1940s.  (Note: This 
information is hearsay and should be confirmed; we pass it along 
merely to provide a sense of what the DRC refugees in the 
Likouala are saying. End note.) 
 
 
 
¶15. (SBU) The ROC military appears to have been extremely 
responsive to the refugee crisis and to security requests from 
UNHCR and WFP. The ROC military provides an armed escort to all 
UNHCR and WFP boats; a dozen Roc military reportedly fought back 
DRC militia on December 18 south of Impfondo, who attempted to 
take control of a WFP food barge with motorized canoes in order 
to steal fuel and food.  The ROC has stationed an MI-24 attack 
helicopter at Impfondo in order to conduct aerial patrols of the 
river and scare off the militia.  (Note: The helicopter appeared 
to have a European pilot. End note.)  The ROC military has also 
positioned a zodiac at Impfondo and has used the boat to patrol 
the river, while also placing one military officer at each 
refugee site to protect the refugees from militia (DCM and 
Refcoord saw the officers at each site we visited). 
 
 
 
¶16. (SBU) The GROC has not granted refugee status officially, 
but the MFA informed UNHCR on December 18 that it would not 
oppose UNHCR's use of the term, which will allow UNHCR to make 
an appeal to donors.  The MFA also told UNHCR that it should 
begin registering refugees, and would "reply soon" on the issue 
of status.  MFA Secretary General Daniel Owassa has told Embassy 
officers on several occasions that the GROC wants to better 
understand the situation and what the GDRC is doing about it - 
in order to understand how long this crisis may last - before it 
grants refugee status.  The GROC Minister of Social Affairs 
Emilienne Raoul has chaired a crisis committee that includes UN, 
NGO, and diplomatic representatives.  The GROC also contributed 
15,000 liters of fuel to the WFP barge that arrived in Impfondo 
on December 19 with 300 tons of food.  UNHCR reported that the 
Prefect in Impfondo as well as the sub-prefect in Betou have 
been helpful and cooperative with every request, including the 
provision of land for the much-needed refugee camp in Betou. 
 
 
 
Comment 
 
------- 
 
 
 
¶17. (U) The in-country UNHCR and WFP staff and their local 
partners have done champion's work to provide the assistance 
that they have to date with very limited resources. UNHCR was 
able to quickly mobilize resources because it still had limited 
staff, logistical resources, and local partners in place 
following the last refugee influx from the DRC in 2002.  The 
current refugee influx does not appear to have reached an 
emergency stage; however, the refugees' coping strategies are 
being rapidly taxed as are the resources of the local 
population.  Given the logistical challenges inherent in 
providing food, non-food items (NFIs), healthcare, water, and 
other services, assistance will need to be placed in the 
pipeline quickly so that this does not develop into an 
emergency.  While UNHCR plans to fly all NFIs into Impfondo, WFP 
 
BRAZZAVILL 00000362  005.2 OF 005 
 
 
will likely need to send food by truck overland from Douala, 
Cameroon via Bangui, CAR to Betou, ROC. 
 
 
 
¶18. (SBU) UNHCR staff has identified reconciliation as key to 
allowing refugees to return home.  They compared the events on 
the DRC-side of the border to a Rwanda-like situation where 
people who had been good neighbors for 20 years suddenly took up 
arms against their neighbors from minority ethnic groups.  It 
will greatly enhance the chance of a durable solution when the 
time comes for refugee return if the process of reconciliation 
and conflict resolution is a key element of the assistance 
provided to the refugees beginning earlier rather than later. 
EASTHAM